One Night in Bangkok
by IcyJadeXOXO
Summary: Asher Henrie recalls the night that he met Alexandra Hunter. Special guest appearances from characters from my previous fics.  AU/OOC/One-shot


**Title** : _**One Night in Bangkok**_

**Author's Notes** : Just a one-shot about how Asher met Alex. Special guest appearances from characters from my previous fics.

**Disclaimer** : I don't own any of the _**recognizable characters**_. That honor belongs to _**Jeff Eastin**_, _**White Collar writers **_and **USA Network**.

**Summary** : Asher Henrie recalls the night that he met Alexandra Hunter. AU/OOC/One-shot

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><p><strong>Vancouver, B.C., Canada, present day...<strong>

Asher had everything planned out. He had just came from a job with Alex in Calgary. He was there to meet up with his girlfriend, Dr. Claire Gleason, after she was done with the medical conference she attended that day. Claire, a native New Yorker, was in Vancouver for a few days, and Asher who was a Vancouver native, offered to be her tour guide and keep her company while she was there.

That night, he decided to take her out for a romantic dinner at the Blue Water Cafe, one of the most romantic restaurants in the city. It was double celebration. Claire had recently graduated with honors in medicine, and at the same time, it was also her birthday.

After dinner and drinks, Asher gave Claire her birthday present. Claire opened the velvet box and squealed when she saw the content. It was a vintage Tiffany, multi-layered white gold necklace with two pendants. The first pendant was a 10-carat natural emerald, the second one a caduceus emblem charm pendant.

"_Happy birthday, Claire!"_ Asher said.

"_Oh my God, Asher! This is beautiful! Thank you so much!" _Claire exclaimed.

"_For you, baby, nothing but the best! I'm glad you liked it!"_ Asher replied, as he put the necklace around Claire's neck.

"_I love it!" _Claire said. She smiled, and then kissed him on the lips.

* * *

><p>After they're celebration, they decided to go back to their hotel. They got out of the restaurant and proceeded to go to the parking lot, when a speeding black Mercedes Benz E-Class Guard suddenly stopped in front of them.<p>

The car door flung open and revealed Alex as the driver. _"You two! Get in, quick!"_ Alex ordered them.

Within moments, gun shots were fired at their direction, barely missing them. Realizing the urgency of the situation, Asher and Claire quickly got inside the backseat of the car. Alex immediately drove away.

"_What the hell is going on, Alex?" _Asher asked her, his voice louder than normal.

"_Jesus Christ! Why are those men shooting at us?" _Claire cried, the fear audible in her voice.

"_Uhm, Claire, sweetie, listen to me. I've been to worse situations than this. Believe me, panicking doesn't help, okay?" _Alex tried to calm her down while she kept her eyes on the road.

"_Alex, care to explain what's happening here?" _Asher asked in a slightly calmer tone.

"_Remember that job we did back in Calgary?" _Alex asked. She saw Asher nod through the rear view mirror, and she continued. _"Well, there was some sort of snafu. Long story short, bad guys are out of jail and very determined to kill us!"_ Alex explained.

"_Oh great! You assured me that our plan was fail-safe!"_ Asher yelled. He didn't mind the danger. He was more worried about Claire.

"_You think that I did this on purpose?" _Alex yelled back. _"I was supposed to be on a date with Jack! Instead, I'm here saving your ass, and this is the gratitude __that I get?" _she said as she tried to maintain some distance between them and their shooters.

The two continued to argue as they were being chased and shot at. This time, the other car gained some ground and bullets were actually hitting their car. Claire screamed in panic once more, fearing for her life.

"_It's okay, Claire. This car is made of very special high-tech materials to provide protection against any weapons ranging from a 0.44 Magnum to an AK-47. The floor can resist a bang from a DM51 hand-grenade. And also has run-flat tires. So...we're good. Well, until we run out of gas!"_ Alex explained.

Claire just looked at Alex as she maneuvered their car into the busy roads of Robson Street. She weaved past car after car, trying to make their getaway.

"_How can she be so calm at a time like this?" _Claire asked her boyfriend.

"_Years and years of practice!"_ Asher answered. _"Don't worry, if there's anyone who can get us out of here safely, it's Alex!"_ he assured Claire.

"_Where did she learn how to drive like that?"_ Claire asked, in awe of Alex's driving skills.

"_I don't know." _Asher shrugged. _"But when I met her, she was a taxi driver in Bangkok." _he said, as he recalled his first encounter with a certain Alexandra Hunter.

* * *

><p><strong>Bangkok, Thailand, 2001...<strong>

It was night time in the streets of Bangkok. Asher ran for his life. He ran as fast as he could, as far as his feet would take him, away from the group of men chasing him. As if the odds against him weren't enough, the men drew their weapons and started to shoot at him. So, he continued to run, all the while trying to dodge bullets.

"_Why the hell aren't these people helping me?"_ he asked himself frustratedly. The people in the streets just went about their business, as if a young, Caucasian guy being chased and shot at in the streets were a common everyday occurrence.

Suddenly, a red and blue colored taxi stopped in front of him. The door opened and he heard a female voice yelled. _"Get in!"_ the driver ordered. So he did as told and quickly ducked inside the back seat of the cab.

Inside the cab, the Missy Elliott song, "Get Ur Freak On" blasted on the radio. Asher looked at the front seat and got a better look at the driver. She was a beautiful young woman, not much older than him. Her long, dark-brown hair was tied into a high ponytail. She was dressed in all black and had gloves on. She wasn't the typical taxi driver you would find in the streets of Bangkok.

"_Thank you!"_ he said to the woman. The he heard shots being fired at the cab. He peeped through the back glass and saw the men after him chasing them a few cars behind then. They started firing again.

"_Don't thank me just yet, kid! We're still in danger!"_ the woman said. _"Keep your head down!"_ she ordered, as continued to maneuver the cab through the busy streets of Sukhumvit Road. Finally, she took a short cut and managed to shake off the the car that was chasing them.

"_It's alright! I think we lost them!"_ the woman said.

"_Again, thank you, Miss!"_ Asher said.

"_Don't mention it, kid!"_ she replied.

"_Begging your pardon, but you're not exactly old enough to call me kid!"_ Asher told her in a slightly irritated tone.

"_Oh! 'Begging my pardon', are you? How polite!"_ the woman teased. _"You wanna tell me why such a polite boy as yourself is being chased by the __Pradchaphet gang?"_ she pressed. The Pradchaphet gang were the notorious drug syndicate who ruled the area.

"_First of all, I didn't know who they were when I worked for them. Second of all, stop calling me kid. I mean, how old are you? Like twenty? Twenty-one?"_ he asked, quite irritated.

"_What an intrusive question this early in the conversation! How promising!"_ the woman said playfully as she continued to drive.

"_Why did you save me?" _Asher asked.

"_Would you rather that I didn't?" _she asked back.

"_Not what I meant. Just curious why you gave a damn when no one else did."_ he answered.

"_I don't know. I saw that those guys had you outnumbered. Then, I saw the guns. __Hardly seemed like a fair fight, so I decided to step in. Us Yanks need to stick together in times of great need. You're welcome!"_ she told him.

"_Actually, I'm a Canuck! I'm from Canada." _he said.

"_Well, Canadians deserve to live too, eh!"_ she laughed. _"So, what's your name?"_ she asked.

"_Eric Andrews."_ he lied. He didn't knew her well enough to give her his real name.

"_Ah! Eric Andrews! Right! You really think I'd fall for that? Do I really look that gullible? I know when someone is lying to me!" _she told him.

"_Alright! It's Asher! Asher Henrie! "_ he finally told the truth.

"_Well, nice to meet you Asher-Asher Henrie!" _she said with a laugh. She looked at the road and saw something that worried her. _"Hmmm, okay __then! End of the line kid! I have to ditch the taxi!"_ she told him. She turned to the next corner and stopped the vehicle in a dark alley.

"_Wait, what's going on?" _Asher asked, quite confused.

"_See those guys over there? They're after me!" _she said, pointing to the men in suits.

"_What? Why?"_ he asked.

"_You ask too many questions!"_ she told him, as she grabbed her backpack and got out of the cab.

"_Wait, you're just gonna leave your taxi here?" _Asher asked again, as he got out of the cab too.

"_Again, with the questions!" _she said._ "It's not my taxi! I borrowed it from someone! Don't judge!" _she turned to face him. _"This is where we part ways, __Asher Henrie! Have a nice life!" _she turned to leave.

"_Hold on! You didn't tell me your name!" _he said.

"_That's right, I didn't!"_ she said. _"Verona Wilding!"_ she answered with a mock salute, right before she started to run.

Asher followed her. She hid her face and tried not to attract any attention, but that didn't work. The men in suits saw her and started to go after her. She ran faster. She then noticed Asher running right behind her.

"_What the hell are you doing? You can't come with me!" _she told him as they ran.

"_You can't leave me here with them!" _he replied.

"_Fair enough! Just try to keep up!" _she ordered, as she turned and headed towards the Chao Phraya river . Asher quickly followed.

They ran to the Phra Phutta Yodfa Memorial Bridge. They stopped as they soon found themselves surrounded by the men chasing them. Like her and Asher, the men in suits were not from around there. One man stepped forward, clearly the leader of the group. He was slightly bigger than the rest. He was dressed in a more expensive Brioni suit and had a cheesy mustache.

"_Who do we have here? Well, if it isn't Alexandra Hunter, as I live and breathe! At last, I've caught you!"_ the man said with a sinister laugh.

"_Alexandra Hunter? I thought you said your name was Verona Wilding?"_ Asher asked.

"_It's one of my names! Never said it was my real name!" _she told him. She then turned to the man in the Brioni suit. _"Agent Doogie! How can I miss you if you never go away?"_ she said dryly.

"_Give it up, Hunter! We've got you surrounded! Don't make this any harder for you or your friend! There is no way out!" _Agent Doogie warned them.

"_Oh, Agent Doogie! There is ALWAYS a way out!" _she said with a wicked smile. She then grabbed Asher by his collar and his belt, and then threw him off the bridge. She turned to Agent Doogie and his men and gave them a playful wink, and then did a little swan dive of the bridge herself.

Asher and Alex didn't fall in the water though. Instead, they landed on one of the Chao Phraya Express Boats. Luckily for them, there weren't a lot of people on the boat. Alex looked back at the bridge, where an angry Agent Doogie stood with his men, yelling and cursing at them.

Alex laughed and blew him a kiss. _"Buh-bye, Doogie! Buh-bye!" _she said mockingly as she waved. She felt Asher grab her by the arm. She turned to face him.

"_You are a freakin' psycho!" _he yelled at her.

"_Now, now, Asher! Don't rush to judgment on something like that until all the facts are in."_ she said, as she pulled her arm away from his grasp. She walked away and and sat in one of the empty seats.

Asher took a seat right next to her. _"I don't need this!" _he sighed. _"This whole place, everything that's happened...it's like one big nightmare that won't end!"_ He rubbed his face with both hands.

"_So...what's your story?" _Alex asked.

"_I just came here to find my brother, that's all I wanted to do!" _he answered.

"_And?" _Alex pressed.

"_As it turned out, my brother didn't want to be found!"_ he snapped. _"Then, I got robbed!"_ he said with a dry laugh. He took a breath to calm himself before he spoke again. _"I didn't have any money, so I had to be creative. I did what I do best!"_ Asher said.

"_Which is what, exactly?" _Alex asked him.

"_I'm a hacker."_ he replied.

"_Oh, you mean one of those genius guys who could break into any computer or computer networks to access anything they want?"_ she asked.

"_Yes, that."_ he admitted. _"I was broke! The Pradchaphet leader gave me a job. He offered me money in exchange for information regarding shipments they needed to intercept. Then, I found out that the cargo was filled with drugs. I didn't wanna get mixed up in all that, so I gave them the wrong information. Needless to say, they didn't like that!" _he stated.

"_I don't get it! You said you needed the money and that you're a hacker. Why didn't you just hack into a bank computer and make money magically appear __into your account?"_ she asked again.

Asher furrowed his eyebrows. _"That thought never occurred to me!" _he answered.

"_Wow! For a genius, you're not so smart." _she said.

"_Or...I just don't have a sinister mind, unlike you!" _he argued.

"_True. It takes practice!" _she laughed.

Asher laughed along with her, which eased the tension. _"What about you, then? Who were those guys that were after you? They didn't look like the local police."_ It was his turn to ask the questions.

"_That's because they weren't the local police. They're international!" _Alex answered.

"_Interpol? Cheesy mustache guy in the expensive suit was an Interpol agent?"_ he asked.

"_Yeah. He's...an old friend from back home." _she answered cryptically.

"_Friend? I hate to see what you're enemies are like! What ruined your 'friendship'?"_ he asked again.

"_We had a difference in opinion. I felt that certain expensive works of art should be liberated from their owners. He felt otherwise."_ she replied.

"_You're a thief?" _Asher asked, with a grin on his face that implied that he was impressed.

"_I'm...in acquisitions, yes. But I'm slowly transitioning towards the moving business." _she answered. She saw the look of confusion on his face. _"A fence, Asher!"_ she clarified.

"_Oh! You lead a thrilling life! Travel the world...meet rich people...rob them!"_ he joked. Alex then suddenly stood up from her seat and started to walk away. Asher went after her. _"Wait! I wasn't judging you! It was a joke! I didn't mean to offend you, I swear!"_ he said.

"_No! It's not that!" _she told him _"We need to get off this boat, now!"_ she said.

"_Why?"_ he asked.

"_We're only minutes away from Rachawongse. That's the next stop." _she informed him.

"_Yeah...and?"_ he asked again

"_And, Agent Doogie and his men will be waiting for us there!" _she told him. _"We have to go!"_ she said.

"_How do you propose we do that?"_ Asher asked.

"_We swim."_ Alex replied.

"_I was afraid you were gonna say that!" _Asher said.

With that they both jumped off the boat and into the river. They swam and reached the shore within minutes. Alex made sure that Asher was alright. Then, she decided it was time time send him on his way. Alex opened her backpack and took out a card.

"_Here, go to this guy's shop in Thon Buri. Tell him 'Icy Jade' sent you. He'll help you get out of this country and back to Canada."_ she told him.

"_Wait...you're not coming with me?" _he asked.

"_I need to go to Chiang Mai. I have some business to tend to there. It's a favor for a friend."_ Alex explained. She still needed to fence the last of the Yamashita gold that Hale gave her.

"_Well, can't I just go with you?" _Asher insisted.

"_Sorry, kid, but I work faster when I'm alone!" _she answered.

"_I told you, I am not a kid!" _he argued. _"Look, just let me tag along this trip, okay? Who knows, you might find my skills valuable at some point!"_ he pleaded.

"_The answer is no, alright? In case you haven't noticed, it's quite dangerous to be around me!"_ she refused.

"_Hey, you saved my life tonight! I'm not going anywhere until that debt is repaid!"_ he told her.

"_No!"_ she refused again.

"_You're the only person I know in this country...hell, in this continent! I trust you! Besides, don't you think that we'll fair better if we watched each other's __backs!" _he tried to reason with her again.

"_What part of 'NO' don't you understand?"_ she asked him mockingly.

"_I'll do anything, no questions asked! Hell, I'll eat your laundry for a month if you tell me to!"_ he begged.

"_Easy there, Tiger!" _she said playfully. _"I don't think you understand what you're getting yourself into, Asher!"_ she warned him.

* * *

><p><strong>Vancouver, B.C., Canada, back to the present...<strong>

"_Asher? Asher!"_ Alex's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"_What?"_ Asher yelled back. He winced in pain as he touched his left temple, which hit the side glass window after Alex swerved the car abruptly.

"_Is he alright, Claire?" _Alex asked.

"_He has a nasty bump, but yeah, he'll live" _Claire answered.

"_Good! Hang on! We're almost there!" _Alex said.

"_Almost where?" _Asher asked.

"_There!"_ Alex pointed to the flashing lights in front of them.

Alex stopped the vehicle. Within moments, they were surrounded by police cars. The men from the other car that was chasing them were immediately caught and arrested. Alex smiled when she saw who it was that brought the cavalry.

"_Who's the hunk?" _Claire asked her.

"_That's my boyfriend, Jack!" _Alex said. She looked at Claire. _"Stare all you __want, but you can't touch!"_ she joked.

Alex got out of the car to meet him. Jack greeted her with a sweet kiss on the lips. Asher and Claire soon got out of the car as well. They walked towards Jack and Alex.

"_Dr. Gleason, apologies for the inconvenience." _Jack told Claire.

"_Please, call me Claire." _she said. _"And thank you for coming to our rescue."_ she told him. She heard Alex clear her throat. _"You too, Alex!"_ she said. Claire turned to face Asher. _"I can honestly say that this has been the most exciting birthday I've ever had! Thank you, Asher!" _she told him, as she pulled him closer for a deep, slow kiss.

Their kiss went on for quite a while. Jack cleared his throat. Alex started to whistle. But the kiss continued. Asher and Claire didn't exactly mind who saw their public display of affection. Finally, they decided to come up for air and pulled away from each other. Jack called two officers over and introduced them to Claire.

"_Claire, these fine gentlemen will escort you back to your hotel. It is also their responsibility to make sure that you arrive to New York safe and sound and in one piece."_ the Scottish agent said.

"_Again, thank you so much!" _Claire replied.

"_I'll call you later."_ Asher promised her.

"_You damn well better!" _Claire replied with a wink. The officers then led her to the police car and proceeded to drive her back to the hotel.

Alex proceeded to leave with Jack when she noticed that Asher just stood there, with a stupid grin plastered on his face. _"Hey!"_ she snapped. _"Let's go, Tiger! It's been a long and exciting night!"_ she said.

"_Yeah...long and exciting! Seems to be your specialty!"_ he joked, as he and Alex walked back to the car. _"Can I drive this time?"_ he asked her.

"_No."_ was her flat out answer.

* * *

><p>~<strong>FINI<strong>~

* * *

><p><strong>Footnotes<strong> :

*This started out as a simple comedy ficlet that evolved into something else.

*The whole Mercedes Benz E-Class promo was a nod to White Collar product placement scenes.

*Yes, Alex finally has a boyfriend and it's not Neal.

*You might recognize Asher and Jack from previous fics. Claire Gleason is the daughter of a client [New York], and Agent Doogie is Alex's Bizaaro Peter Burke[Strasbourg].

*I love Asher and Claire and I hope to include more of them in my future fics.

*I thought I'd give you my version of what Alex was like before she met Neal and Mozzie.

*Thanks for reading this story. I hope you liked it! Feel free to leave a comment.


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